Forgotten bulbs

greyandamyApril 19, 2011

Today when trying to organize basement, I found some tulip bulbs I somehow forgot to plant. They look perfectly healthy, they were stored in peat-like dry material and were cold. How do I save these? I doubt I can plant them and have them do anything (they had the cold but not time to form any roots)...

Could I plant and wait till next year? Can I store them "as is" until fall (planting time) and will they be okay? I don't know if they can get too dry, or anything like that. Any help would be appreciated. THANKS!!

A 'true' bulb can be stored safely for up to 3 months so I've got to ask..."is the bulb still firm or are they soft...suggesting moisture has gotten to them.
If they've been given the cold treatment they might be still viable....but there's six months before they go into the ground at a temperature that promotes roots. Without roots they are just fodder for squirrels, mice, skunks and other such vermin. Otherwise, moisture of the ground will just make them rot and then that sets up possible places for insects to nest and makes the ground very unhispotible for plants.
The odds are against you....an old refrigerator that does not have fruit stored as well in it, might keep them for such long periods....but even there time and moisture will probably catch up to them.

It surprises me every winter/spring how many people come into garden journals and say they have 'forgotten' to plant.
How can you forget to plant something you buy for the express purpose to plant them. Too much time on their hands I think---they forget what is important when you go shopping for bulbs.

I remind people to lift the pages of the calendar....go to October and with a marker pen start at the Sunday at the top left corner and end at the Saturday in the bottom right corner.
You start with the "B"...and you put across the page the letters...."U", "Y"....."B", "U", "L", "B".."S"....and
under those...."Plant Bulbs".

You cant go wrong...every time you look at the calendar you are reminded that the day you buy a bulb is the best time to plant them.

What have you got to lose? Well, think of it!...
Is time worth something? Is a wasted plot of ground that could be put to better use by planting something one can count on worth something. Is the risk of having the bulbs rot and be an invite for insects and disease to set up house.

We're talking bulbs that HAVE TO HAVE ROOTS, to survive.
The reason why bulbs are planted in the fall....temperatures are right for promoting roots. Without roots, the bulb cannot proceed to creating foliage and flower. It doesn't actually create anything....everything that is the bulb is inside it already waiting for the roots to feed it.
A ground that is 75Ã¢ÂÂ¢ is not a ground that will let roots form. Sooner or later....probably sooner than later....the moisture that is in the ground will enter the tissue and begin the process of rotting. The bulb is dead until roots form and since it cant form roots....the bulb is a lost cause.

Better a bunch of dead bulbs to reinforce the idea that when we buy a bulb, THAT'S THE TIME TO PLANT IT.